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| Criterion |  Operations Root Cause Analysis |  Delivery Value Stream Mapping |  Operations Failure Mode and Effects Analysis |  Operations A3 Problem Solving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a problem keeps recurring and the cause stays unclear, the method exposes the underlying mechanism. It separates symptom, guess, and robust explanation from one another. | When delivery work dissolves into wait times, handoffs, and hidden effort, Value Stream Mapping makes the actual flow visible. The method exposes bottlenecks, idle time, and feedback loops so lead time and improvement levers become tangible. | For a process, product, or service with noticeable failure risks, the method assesses possible failure modes in advance. It directs attention to combinations of occurrence, effect, and detectability. | For a complex deviation with several people involved, the method bundles problem, analysis, and decision onto one page. It creates a shared working space where causes, countermeasures, and follow-up fit together. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 1-4 h | 1-3 h | 2-6 h | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 4-10 | 3-10 | 2-5 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Problem Statement, Cause Hypotheses, Confirmed Causes, Action Plan | Current-state map, Future-state map, Bottleneck list | FMEA Table, Risk Priority, Mitigation Actions | A3 Report, Action Plan, Root Cause Analysis |
Tagsno overlap | Root causeProblem solvingQualityIncident | LeanFlowWasteDelivery | RiskQualityOperationsRoot cause | LeanProblem solvingCoachingOperations |